FTC

BACON FTC is Charlottesville High School’s FirstTech Challenge Team. Comprised of students in 9th-12th grade, members come together after school in order to work on robots which are utilized in nationwide competitions. These competitions are run on a point score system, where robots are specifically designed to maximize one’s point tally in FTC organized challenges.

The competitions are designed to occupy a large portion of the high school year. The annual challenge is released on September 6th, allowing teams time to plan and brainstorm their robot. Teams then decide their schedules on October 1st, where they select their two competition venues (one being close to home, while the other is farther away). Come January 5th teams should be prepared for their first FTC competition, one which serves as a state qualifier, beginning the official season.

The Charlottesville High School FTC team makes an effort to meet at least twice a week. These meeting days are usually Wednesday and Thursday from 3:50 till 5:30 (or longer depending on the club members). In addition to these weekly meetings, team members will occasionally come together for “work days,” in which they try to make headway on parts of the robot.